Controlling mechanism for toilet stools



Apr. 10, 1923. I

' B; L. BIRKHOLZ CONTROLLING m'ncrmui sm FOR TOIYLET sTboLs 8, 1920 4 sheets-sheet '1.

Filed Nov.

vwe vl to'c. 351 WIS abtozweus E.

B. L. BIRKHOLZ CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR TOILET sTooLs Filed Nov. 8,

4 sheets-sheet 2 814110141 01, 35% ig btoz'mm s Apr. 10, 1923. 1,451,524

8. L. BIRKHOLZ CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR TOILET STOOLS Filed Nov. 8, 1920 4 sheetssheet "3 awa/ smegm Apr. 10, 1923.

B. L. BIRKHOLZ CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR TOILET STOOLS Filed Nov. 8, 1920 4 sheets-sheet 4 Fatented Apr. 1%, R23.

BENJIN L. BIRKEOLZ, 0F COLONIA, NEW JERSEY.

CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR TOILET STOOLS.

Application filed November 8, 1920. Serial No. 422,529.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN L. BIRK- HOLZ, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Colonia, in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Controlling Mechanism for Toilet Stools; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The present invention relates to means for locking and controlling the operation of the flushing or discharge mechanism of toilet stools from points exterior of the toilet closets of railroad cars.

In the operation of railroad trains it is desirable to prevent discharges from the toilet stools while trains are standing in the terminal stations and also while stopping at way stations. This result is usually effected by locking the toilet closets at such times so that the same may not be used, which practice results in depriving the passengers of the use of such closets to their frequent inconvenience and discomfort. It will therefore be understood that the convenience of passengers, particularly on Pullman cars, would best be served were the toilet closets open to their use at all times, provided that, at the same time, the stools were subject to such control that discharges therefrom might be prevented when advisable, and, furthermore, provided that such control could be exercised by a railroad employee from a point exterior of the toilet closet.

It is, therefore, the object of the present invention to provide a novel construction of means whereby the control of the discharge mechanism of toilet stools may be simply and expeditiously exercised from points exterior of the toilet closets so that the advantage of free use of the toilets maybe afforded to passengers at all times.

Other objects of the invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be clearly understood from the following detailed description of the same.

With the various objects of the invention in view, the same consists, primarily, in the novel construction of toilet stool controlling means hereinafter set forth; and, the inventlon consists, furthermore, in the novel arrangements and combinations of the various devices and parts, as well as in the details of the construction of the same, all of which will be hereinafter more fully described, and then finally embodied in the claims appended hereto.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which 2-- Figure 1 is a floor plan view of one end of a railroad car showing the location of the toilet closet, and showing the toilet stool located in the latter, and provided with the novel control mechanism made according to and embodying the principles of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a detail vertical longitudinal section, taken on line 22 in said Figure 1.

F1gure 3 is a detail plan view of the toilet stool and its discharging mechanism together with a portion of the exterior controlling means; Figure 4 is a detail side view of the toilet stool; Figure 5 is a detail transverse section showing the relation of a twin lever device to the discharging mechanism of a stool when locking the latter against actuation. Figure 6 is a plan view of the exterior controlling mechanism drawn on an enlarged scale; Figure 7 is an end elevation of the exterior controlling mechanism; Figure 8 is a detail side view of the twin lever for operating the toilet stool discharge mechanism; Figure 9 is an enlarged view of the manipulating lever of said exterior controlling mechanism; and Figure 10 is a detail vertical longitudinal section of said manipulating lever and its mounting, taken on line 10--10 in said Figure 9.

Similar characters of reference are employed in all of the hereinabove described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now to said drawings, the reference character 1 indicates a Pullman car having a wash-room 2 off of which opens a toilet closet 3, one wall 3 of which fronts the passage 4: leading to the main interior of the car. Located within said toilet closet 3 is a toilet stool 5 provided with the usual bowl .6 having in its lower end a discharge opening 7 leading through the floor of the car. Said discharge opening 7 is normally closed by a dumping pan 8, which is connected with a rock-shaft 9 suitably mounted in connection with the stool 5, so that a turning movement imparted to said rock-shaft 9 will rock-shaft 9 is a lever arm 12 with which is suitably connected the hand-lever mechanism 13 by means of which passengers making use of the stool may normally actuate" the dumping-pan 8.,

The means for both locking the discharge mechanism of the stool to prevent passengers from actuatin the dumping-pan 8, nd permitting a railroad employee or porter to actuate the dumping-pan 8 from a point exterior of the toilet closet 3, com-- pr'ses a shaft 14:, the inner end of which is suitably journaled in a bearing bracket 15, while the outer end projects through the wall 3 of the toilet closet 3. Fixed on the exterior side of said wall 3' is a quadrant plate 16 having a central bearing portion 17 1n which the outer end of said shaft 14 is journaled. Secured upon the inner end of said shaft 14 is a twin lever member 18 provided with an upper arm 19 and alower arm 20, which are arranged to bear a diverging relation one to the other, and which are disposed to receive between the same or straddle the weight 10 of said arm 11, normally in such position that the lower arm 26 engages the underside of said weight, while the upper arm 19 is removed from the path of movement of said weight so as not to interfere with operative movement thereof. Connected with the outwardly projecting end of said shaft It is an exterior hand-lever 21, which is provided at its inner end with a bifurcated portion 22 which straddles said shaft, but is pivoted thereto by a cross pin 23 so as to permit a limited outward swinging movement of said hand-lever in a horizontal plane. Said hand-lever 21, however, is nor-- mally maintained in inwardly swung position by means of a leaf-spring 24 which is secured to the extremity of said shaft 1 1 so that its free end exerts an inwardly thrusting pressure upon said hand-lever. Said quadrant plate 16 is provided with an outwardly projecting quadrant flange 25 upon which said hand-lever 21 rides when swung up or down in a vertical plane. Normally said hand-lever 21 is held in horizontal extension which is its neutral position, by being engaged in the neutral notch 26 provided in said quadrant flange 25. Said quadrant flange is further provided with a lock notch 27 disposed in suitable downwardl spaced relation to said neutral notch 26. aid hand-lever 21 may be provided on its inner or under side with a stop projection 28 which is adapted to enter either neutral notch 26 or the lock notch 27 accord iug to the disposition of the handlerer 21 relative to the quadrant plate.

Now assuming that it is desirable, reason of the car standing in a station, to lock the discharging mechanism of the stool a ainst actuation by a passenger, so that in al other respects the passenger may nevertheless have the use of the stool. The porter or other railroad employee'grasps the hand-lever 21, and by a slight outward movement of the same against the tension of the sprin withdraws the same from its enlclation in the neutral notch 26 of the quadrant flange, thereupon swinging down- 3; said hand-lever 21 and engaging the same in the lock notch 27. This movement of the hand-lever 21 turns the shaft 14 so as to swing the twin lever member 18 to carry its upper arm 15 into engagement with the upper side of the weight 10 thereby ob structing any upward swinging movement of the latter, and consequently locking, by reason of such obstruct-ion, the rock-shaft 9 against movement tending to swing open the dumping-pan 8. such locking of the rock-shaft 9 preventing the passenger from elfectirely actuating the hand-lever me chanism 13.

When the train leaves the station, in order to assure cleansing of the stool bowl 6 and discharge of its contents without further delay, the porter or other railroad employee releases the hand-lever 21 from the lock-notch 27 and swings the same upwardly to neutral position, and then continues said upwardly swinging movement thereof beyond neutral position. Said continued upward swinging movement of the hand-lever 21 is transmitted through the shaft 14. to the twin lever member 13, thereby swinging the latter upward so that the lower arm 20 thereof is carried into lifting engagement with the Weight 10, so as to in turn swing up the arm 11 and rock the rock-shaft 9 sutlicicntly to actuate the opening movement of the dumping-pan 8 where by the contents of the stool bowl 6 are discharged therefrom. This being accomplished the porter or other railroad employee returns the hand-lever 21 to normal neutral position, whereupon all the parts are likewise disposed in normal initial positions, so that not only may the passengers use the stool but may also actuate the discharge mechanism thereof by manipulating the hand lever mechanism 13 in the usual manner.

It will thus be apparent that the present invention provides a very simple yet efficient mechanism for both locking and manipulating the discharge mechanism of toilet stools without necessity for entering the toilet closets in which said stools are lo" conditions is assured.

I am aware that some changes may be made in the arrangements and combinations of the various devices and parts, as well as in the details of the construction of the same, Without departing from the scope of my present invention as set forth in the foregoing specification and as defined 1n the appended claims. Hence, I do not limit my invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the various devices and parts as described in said specification, nor do I confine myself to the exact details of the contruction of said parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

I claim 1. The combination with a toilet closet and the ordinary discharging me hanism of the toilet stool therein, of a combined locking and actuating means cooperating with said discharging mechanism. a shaft upon which said combined locking and actuating means is mounted, one end of said shaft projecting exteriorly from said toilet closet, a hand-lever on the exterior end of said shaft, and a fixed quadrant plate having a quadrant flange provided with a neutral notch and a lock notch selectively engageable by said hand-lever to release or look said ordinary discharging mechanism as desired.

2. The combination with a toilet closet and its toilet stool of a discharging l echanism for said stool, an interior had lever mechanism operable by the occupant of said toilet closet to actuate said discharging mechanism, a combined locking and actuating means cooperating with said discharging mechanism for locking the same against actuation by said hand lever mechanism or for actuating the same independently of said hand lever mechanism, a shaft upon which said combined locking and actuating means is mounted, one end of said shaft projecting exteriorly from said toilet closet, an exterior hand-lever on the exterior end of said shaft, and a fixed quadrant plate having a quadrant flange provided with a neutral notch and a lock notch selectivelyengageable by said exterior hand lever.

3. The combination with a toilet closet of a toilet stool bowl having a bottom discharge opening, a rock-shaft associated with said stool bowl, a dumping-pan carried by said rock-shaft to normally close said discharge opening, a counter-balancing weighted lever on one end of said rockshaft operating to normally hold said dumping-pan closed, an interior hand lever mechanism connected with said rock-shaft normally operable by the occupant of said toilet closet to actuate said dumping-pan, a twin lever member having arms straddling said weighted lever and normall positioned to permit free movement 0 the latter, a shaft on which said twin lever member is fixed, one end of said shaft projecting exteriorly from said toilet closet, and means'on the exterior end of said shaft for rotating the same to carry one arm of said twin lever member into movement obstructing relation to said weighted lever or the other arm thereof into actuating relation to said weighted lever independently of said interior hand lever mechanism.

4. The combination with a toilet closet of a toilet stool bowl having a bottom discharge opening, a rock-shaft associated with said stool bowl, a dumping-pan carried by said rock-shaft to normally close said discharge opening, a counter-balancing weighted lever on one end of said rock-shaft operating to normally hold. said dumping-pan closed, an interior hand lever mechanism connected with said rock-shaft normally operable by the occupant of said toilet closet to actuate saiddumping-pan, a twin lever member having arms straddling said weighted lever and normall positioned to permit free movement 0 the latter, a shaft on which said twin lever member is fixed, one end of said shaft projecting exteriorly from said toilet closet, an exterior hand lever on the exterior end of said shaft for rotating the same to carry one arm of said twin lever member into movement obstructing relation to said weighted lever or the other arm thereof into actuating relation to said weighted lever independently of said interior hand lever mechanism, and a fixed quadrant plate having a quadrant flange provided with a neutral notch and a lock notch selectively engageable by said exterior hand lever.

5. The combination with a toilet closet of a toilet stool bowl having a bottom discharge opening, a rock-shaft associated with said stool bowl, a dumping-pan carried by said rock-shaft to close said discharge opening, a counter-balancing weighted lever on one end of said rock-shaft operating to normally hold said dumping-pan closed, means operable by the occupant of said toilet closet for operating said rock-shaft and dumping-pan, a shaft, a lever arm on said shaft movable when said shaft is rotated in one direction to hold said Weighted lever a ainst opera tion, a second lever arm on sai shaft movable when said shaft is rotated in the opposite direction to move said weighted lever to dumping-pan opening position, one end of said shaft projecting exteriorly from said toilet closet, and means on the exterior end of said shaft for manipulating the same.

6. The combination with a toilet closet of a toilet stool bowl having a bottom discharge to hold said weighted lever against operation, a second lever arm on said shaft movable when said shaft is rotated in the opposite direction to move said weighted lever to ,dumping-pan opening position, one end of said shaft projecting exteriorly from said toilet closet, an exterior hand lever on the exterior end of said shaft, and a fixed quadrant plate having aquadrant flange provided with a neutral notch and a lock notch ielectively engageable by said exterior hand ever.

7. The combination with a toilet closet of I a toilet stool bowl'having a bottom discharge opening, a rock-shaft associated with said stool bowl, a dumping-pan carried by said rock-shaft to close said discharge opening, :1

counter-balancing weighted lever on one end of said rock-shaft operatin to normally hold said dumping-pan close means operable by the occupant of said toilet closet for operating said rock-shaft and dumping-pan, a shaft, a lever arm on said shaft movable when said shaft is rotated in one direction to hold' said weighted lever against operation, a second lever arm on said shaft movable when said shaft is rotated in the opposite direction to move said weighted lever to dumping-pan opening position, one end of said shaft projecting exteriorly from said toilet closet, an exterior hand lever on the exterior end of said shaft, means for pivotally connecting said hand lever for limited outward swinging movement, spring means for normally thrusting said hand lever to inwardly swing position, and a fixed quadrant plate having a quadrant flange provided with a neutral notch and a lock notch selectively engageable by said hand lever.

In testimony that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 27th day of October, 1920.

' BENJAMIN L. BIRKHOLZ.

Witnesses:

GEORGE D. RICHARDS, S. LPARRo'rT. 

